Gem Verginix
by barkscrolls-and-blushing
Summary: sister!au what if twig had had a little sister? this is her story.
1. Chapter 1: taken

**so, first things first, disclaimer, i do not own the edge chronicles or the characters or the plot. one more thing, i don't usually write so i'm terrified of gem turning out to be a mary-sue, so if y'all notice anything let me know ^^**

**the first few chapters are kinda just to introduce her and give her a backstory**

**hope y'all enjoy, peace out! 3**

In the Deepwoods, Maris held her two-year-old daughter Gem close as she sang, smoothing the black curls way from the child's forehead. The little girl hummed along as best as she was able. She smiled up at her mother in adoration.

"Again mummy! Sing again!" Gem's little voice warmed Maris's heart.

"If mummy sings again, will you fall asleep?" Maris asked playfully, holding her daughter's tiny, rosy hands. Gem giggled and nodded, climbing up onto her mother's lap.

"Mummy loves you very much, do you know that?" Maris whispered. She could feel Gem give a drowsy nod as she drifted off to sleep in her mother's arms.

Maris held her for a while longer. The child was the most precious thing she had. After losing her firstborn, Maris was determined never to let her little Gem slip away. Not like her son…

"Mistress Maris." Tweezel interrupted her thoughts. Maris looked up, grateful that he had. Her dear companion was holding something out to her with one of his spindly legs.

"A small token I made for the child." He explained, "It is not much, but I believe it is important for her to always have her name with her."

Maris took the small necklace. It was a small wooden pendant with Gem engraved of it in lovely, swooping letters.

"Oh my dearest friend, it's beautiful!" Maris exclaimed. She placed it around the neck of her sleeping child, over the scarf that she had made for her. The scarf… even that reminded her of her first child… of course that was her own fault. She had insisted upon making the designs identical. Maris pushed these thoughts from her mind and lay down, drifting off to sleep.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxx**_

When she woke, her daughter had vanished.

"Gem, sweetie! Where are you?" Maris called out. She turned in a circle. Was Gem being naughty? It was certainly not like her to do something like that.

"Gem? You must come back to mummy now! The game cannot last forever!" Still no answer. Gem had never pulled anything like this before!

"Gem, if you do not come out now, mummy will leave without you!" Maris called, certain that would get her daughter out of hiding. But there was only silence.

"Gem!? Gem, where are you!?" Maris's voice began to crack as panic rose in her throat. She scoured the underbrush all around her.

"Gem! GEM! _GEM_!" Her voice rose to a shriek. Where was her daughter!? Where was she!? Hadn't she done everything in her power to keep her close? Keep her out of harms way? Where was her Gem?

Then she found it.

Scratched into the earth was the message: "I have taken Gem. You will never see her again. This is how I curse you Maris Pallitax."

Maris sank to her knees, unable to comprehend the words. She wailed, sobbed, and begged the unseen foe to return her child to her. Yet nothing happened. No one answered her pleas.

_**xxxxxxxxxxx**_

Some distance away, well out of sight and well out of earshot, the Gloamgloazer looked on with glee.

"You are no different from Quint, my dear Maris. I have cursed you as much as I have cursed him."

With those words it whisked away, holding a sleeping child in its talons.

_**xxxxxxxxxxx**_

A frightened Gem woke up all alone under an ironwood tree. She called out for her mother. She cried again and again until her frantic screams became sobs of despair. The tiny child huddled at the foot of the tree and cried.

Her sobs could have attracted any number of creatures. It was good fortune that the first to respond was an old banderbear.


	2. Chapter 2: kindness of strangers

"Banderbear!" Gem whined. "I don't want to go to school! Please let me stay with you. Just for today!"

He friend looked down at her and pushed her gently but firmly from the trees. The child pouted for a moment longer before scampering into the slaughterer settlement. She ran, diving behind buildings and tanning vats to hide from the villagers. Finally, she reached the building she had been looking for. The murmur of children's voices came from inside.

"Now little'uns, settle down please! We must begin our lessons now," a young woman said clearly. The children inside quieted.

As the teacher inside began her lesson, Gem took out her journal, doing her best to take notes in her wobbly handwriting. She knew the drill by now. Every time her and her banderbear companion stumbled across a village, Gem was sent into the settlement. Most of the children learned basic reading and writing, and her banderbear seemed to think it important that Gem learn to do so as well. She would hide outside the schoolhouse window, at first just listening, then practicing her letters in the dirt, then jotting notes down in the journal she had taken. The story of the journal was a quite funny one. After a spat with the teacher, an intemperate woodtroll child had flung it from the schoolhouse window, barely missing Gem who had been hiding just outside. By the time the little boy had gone to find it, it was gone.

Gem listened as the lesson progressed. As it was finishing up and Gem was closing her journal, someone brought a hand down on her shoulder. She yelped and tried to pull away. The tall slaughterer looked down at her. He wasn't very old, late teens perhaps.

"Who are you little'un?" he asked in concern. Gem struggled, but he kept her there.

"Please sir, I wanna go now!" The little girl tried to yank her arm away again, but was getting nowhere.

The slaughter looked at her sadly. She was all alone and she seemed so scared.

"I'll let you go, I promise." He said. The child calmed down a little.

"Look here, my name is Tendon, what's yours?" He said, kneeling so his height would be less daunting to the small girl.

The little thing blew her black curls out of her face.

"Gem," she murmured almost inaudibly.

"Well Miss Gem, are you alone? Is there anything we can do for you?"

She shook her head.

"I'm not alone. And I do not need anything. I just wanna learn…" she trailed off.

Tendon looked at her more closely. She did seem to be in perfect health. Her eyes were bright and intelligent. There was not a scratch on her. Yet her clothes were clearly too small for her and were in tatters.

"What if I gave you some warm new clothes then let you on your way? Does that sound good?"

The girl looked at him skeptically. Presently she nodded slowly. Tendon smiled warmly and took her hand, leading her to his hut.

"My mother keeps loads of spare clothing in here. I'm sure she won't notice any of it is missing." He chuckled, and the little girl smiled ever so slightly.

After a fair amount of looting the place, Tendon finally handed her a pile of folded clothing.

"Most of these were meant for someone older than you, but I'm sure you'll grow into them." The slaughterer smiled as he handed her the bundle.

"Thank you." Gem smiled, at last.

"Are you going to leave right away?" Tendon asked, secretly hoping the child would stay. Gem nodded. She couldn't be older than five and she was about to run into the perilous Deepwoods. She had said she wasn't alone…

"Who looks after you?" Tendon asked as he accompanied the little girl outside.

"Banderbear!" Gem said cheerfully.

Before the slaughterer could respond, or so much as say goodbye, she gave him a nod of thanks and scurried to the tree line. As he looked on, Tendon saw a massive creature lying in wait. He was just about to cry out when it nuzzled the little girl affectionately and seemingly ushered her into the forest, like a mother would usher her child.

"Tendon!" Someone called. It was Tarp.

"Where've you been? I've been looking for you all over!" his brother scolded.

Tendon smiled.

"I do believe I've just met the child of the Deepwoods dear brother."

"The _what_?" Tarp said incredulously.

Tendon laughed.

"I'll explain everything on the way to dinner, don't worry!"


	3. Chapter 3: death and disguise

two years later~

"Banderbear?" Gem asked tremulously. Her friend and protector lay on its side, its breath coming in wheezing gasps. This had been going on for weeks now.

Even at seven, the girl knew something was terribly wrong. Her dearest banderbear was very sick, and as much as she tried, none her medicines were having any effect at all.

This time was the worst. Gem crawled over to her friend, who reached out weakly and patted her on the head. The banderbear trembled violently and the little girl started crying.

"No! Please don't go! I lost my mummy I can't lose you too! Please don't die!"

Gem threw her arms around the banderbear's neck and sobbed into its fur. She could feel its heavy paw rest on her shoulder. Its breathing got slower and weaker.

Soon it was gone.

Gem was alone.

The little girl sat and cried until she had no more tears. Gem swallowed the last of her sobs. If her banderbear had taught her anything, it was to keep moving. She shakily got to her feet. The last thing she did was place a flower behind her dearest friend's ear.

"Goodbye." She whispered.

Then she stepped away, wiping her nose on her sleeve.

Gem stumbled through the forest, the baggy clothing the slaughter had given her almost two years back kept getting caught on brambles. This had never been a problem when the banderbear had carried her…

Gem let out a small sob, blinked away tears, and then she reached down and rolled her pant legs up for the millionth time. As she did so, she noticed footprints. Not an animal's certainly. Actual shoes had made them, not bare feet. Gem crouched and followed them, keeping as quiet as she could. Soon she heard voices. They seemed to be arguing.

"Sky damn you! You can't damage the merchandise like this! What'll we do with her now?" Someone was yelling in a nasally voice.

"Sorry sir, she resisted" a gruff voice answered.

The first person sighed.

"We'll have to leave her here, she's as good as dead anyway."

The two began to walk towards her. Gem threw herself to the ground. Nothing sounded good about those two, nothing at all. She listened as their footsteps faded and the moment she was sure the coast was clear, she raced to where the two had come and stopped in shock.

A girl lay on the ground, her wheezing breath reminded her far too much of the banderbear…

Gem rushed to the girl's side, falling to her knees beside her.

The girl's eyes focused on her, she looked confused, but grateful. Gem bit her lip. The girl looked no older than she was…

The girl was pale, so pale, and her hair was a brilliant shade of orange. She was slender, and so delicate, like a flower.

Yet all Gem noticed was the bloodstain on the girl's dress. It seeped from a wound on her side.

"I-I-" Gem stammered in alarm. She didn't know what to do, didn't know how to aid the injured girl. She began to cry again, this time in frustration and fear.

Then the girl grabbed one of her hands.

"Thank you for coming to find me." Her voice was a mere whisper.

"Please, whoever you are, listen to me. I'm fading, but if you can pretend-" She was cut off by a fit of coughing. Gem gripped her hand tightly.

"Yes, I will listen…" she said to the dying girl.

'My name is Mira." The red haired girl rasped.

Gem sat with Mira, and let her talk. Mira seemed to be speaking more to herself than to Gem, but it seemed to make her feel better. She talked about the underground trog caverns, of her sisters, of how she wanted to turn termagent one day, of the Mother Bloodoak. Not much of it meant anything to Gem, but she listened and kept Mira company as she faded.

Soon enough, Mira stopped talking and the light in her eyes died. Gem sat back on her haunches and cried for the second time that day. This time the tears were silent. Everything had happened so quickly Gem barely had had time to register it all. What she did know was that a girl had just died in her arms...

Gem got up, closing Mira's eyes as she did so. She stood for a moment, thinking about her current situation.

She could feed herself, the banderbear had seen to that. She could not, however, defend herself. She was small and vulnerable; she wouldn't have known how to use a weapon even if she had one.

Gem turned back to Mira's body. The girl had talked about the entrance to a trog cavern… if Gem could pretend to be like Mira, there was a possibility that she could hide out there for a while.

Gem walked to the edge of a nearby pool, where she spotted a pile of laundry. Mira must've been doing her chores... The though made her sad all over again. She picked up a dress and held it up to her. It looked almost exactly like the one poor Mira had on, and it seemed to be about her size. It was a start.

Her reflection stared up at her, wide eyed and scared. The little girl fingered her black curls and bit her lip.

"Well…" she whispered. "What's my hair color compared to a time of safety?"

A little while later Gem had put together a sort of dye that seemed to mimic the color of Mira's hair rather well. Gem was nervous though. To create the dye she had used juices from fruits she knew to be deadly poisonous when ingested. She hoped it wouldn't have the same effect when used this way.

"Here goes nothing…" she said as she poured the dye over her head.

Then she was screaming.

There was a searing pain on her scalp. It burned terribly! Gem screamed and screamed as the awful pain continued. It felt as though the poisons were seeping into her scalp and ripping it off. Soon it was too much to bear and the little girl passed out beside the pool.


	4. Chapter 4: time is up

The first thing Gem saw when she opened her eyes was sunlight. High up above, the tree canopy turned the light green. The excruciating pain in her scalp was gone.

"Am I dead?" Gem wondered aloud.

No, she couldn't be. She could feel the grass under her fingertips and hear her own voice. When she tried to move her arms and legs, she found she could do so with ease. No, she was certainly not dead. However, she had no idea how long she had been unconscious. Not that it mattered. She picked up the dress and put it on, stashing her old clothes in the nook of a tree nearby.

Gem walked to the edge of the pool, and gasped. Her reflection… that couldn't be her! She fingered her hair nervously. The dye had worked amazingly well. It had turned her black hair to a startlingly vibrant orange. It had also thinned her hair considerably, but Gem didn't care. The important thing was that she looked like Mira enough to pull the disguise off. Mira… the poor thing…

Gem looked down at her new reflection. She had tears in her eyes. That made her angry for some reason and the struck the water, distorting the image of herself.

"The new me isn't allowed to cry any more." She commanded her reflection.

Gem blinked the tears away and stood as tall as her seven-year-old frame could. She picked up the bundle of clothes and started towards the entrance to the caverns. Mira had said it was close…

Then the ground opened up and Gem fell with a yelp.

She tumbled down a slope before rolling to a stop at the feet of three girls. She looked up at them with wide eyes. They all looked almost exactly like Mira…

"Mira? Why are you back so late?" one of them said.

"You have brought the laundry with you, correct?" said another.

"What are you looking at us like that for? Don't you know your sisters anymore?" the third giggled.

_They… they think I'm Mira?_ Gem thought in shock. She had planned to make up some story, but this was turning out better than she'd planned.

**_xxxxxxxx_**

_Twang, thunk. Twang, thunk._

Gem looked on in satisfaction as each arrow found it's mark. Her homemade bow and arrows were working better than expected.

Almost a year had passed since she had joined the termagant trogs, and while they had treated her well, she was terrified of them. Every day she had dreaded being found out and killed by the true termagants, great hulking women who became so by drinking from the roots of the Mother Bloodoak. More and more of her peers had been called to transform and Gem knew that it would not be long before she too was chosen. Yet she would not change, she was not a trog. She would have to run away…

The notion was not as terrifying as it once had been however. In the year she had spent underground in the trog caverns, she had come to the surface every day to train herself to fight. Gem had taught herself to use a knife, a bow and arrow, and even her own fists. She had taught herself to climb trees and jump from limb to limb with ease. She could fight now, and although she was barely eight years old, she was not helpless.

Gem stashed her bow and arrows along with her old clothes and trotted back to the entrance to the caverns.

"Mira!" someone called to her as she got inside. Gem paused, processing for a moment, then turned to the speaker. A full year she had been here and she still had not gotten used to people referring to her as "Mira."

Another young trog girl came trotting towards her. Marian. Gem smiled. Of all the trogs, Marian was the only one whose presence she was not repulsed by. The women were violent, the girls were spoiled and bratty, and the men were too scared to even speak to her. Yet Gem appreciated Marian. She was living, breathing proof that there were always exceptions.

"You were out Mira! You haven't heard the news!" Marian babbled excitedly. "You and I will be turning termagant in less than a week!"

"L-less than a week?" Gem stuttered. Her jaw dropped.

Marian seemed unfazed and continued to talk about the ceremony, but Gem registered nothing.

She had to leave. She had to get away…

"That's… amazing Marian!" Gem forced herself to say. "I can't wait."

Marian continued to laugh and talk as they made their way to the dwellings, Gem continued to fake a smile as she walked.

_I'm leaving_, she thought to herself. _I'm leaving tonight._

**_xxxxxxxxx_**

The night air was chilly.

Gem pulled on the waistcoat that the kind slaughterer had given her years earlier, grateful for the warmth. As she did up the toggles down the front, she was amazed that the clothes fit her even better now. The pants didn't need to be rolled up as much anymore and the waistcoat was still big for her, but no longer down to her knees.

She shouldered the bow and arrows and gripped the sharp piece of stone she called a knife, the only weapons she had besides her fists.

She said a silent prayer that they would be enough to keep her safe and trotted into the Deepwoods, on her own once more.


	5. Chapter 5: the changeing

Gem was kicking herself. She had just _had_ to come back hadn't she?

She was crouched in the airshaft, peering into the ceremonial cavern. All the termagants were crowded around the Mother Bloodoaks roots, chattering excitedly. They were waiting for the young girl who would be turning into one of them.

Gem bit her lip. She hadn't been able to help herself from coming to see. She had never been to a ceremony, all she knew was that her peers had entered as small, slender, red-haired girls, and exited as ferocious, hulking beasts, without their hair and looking ready to kill. Gem didn't understand how drinking from a root could bring about such a drastic change.

Yet the real reason she had come was far more than simple curiosity. It was much more personal than that. The girl who was to become termagant was Marian, the one girl she was able to call friend. The one person she regretted leaving behind. Gem couldn't wrap her mind around it. Marian couldn't become termagant, it was impossible. Wasn't it? Gem knew that she would never believe Marian was gone until she was it with her own eyes, and if she didn't believe that Marian was gone she would never get over the regret of leaving her behind.

Just then, a cheer went up and Gem shifted in the shaft to get a better view.

Marian walked in, flanked by her mother and looking starstruck. Of course she was, Gem thought bitterly. This was the highest honor she could receive.

She looked on helplessly as Marian stood quietly next her mother, who was attaching a spout to the roots. The other termagants started to chant and Gem brought her hands to her ears as it turned into a roar. Suddenly it all stopped. Gem tentatively removed her hands only to hear Marian give an unearthly shriek and fall to her knees.

"Bleed for me!" Marian cried in a voice that chilled Gem to the bone. That didn't sound like the Marian she had known.

As if answering Marian's cry, the roots turned blood red and a crimson liquid coursed from the spout. The termagants cheered. Marian tilted her head upwards and drank thirstily. The whole spectacle made Gem sick to her stomach and she averted her eyes, clamping a hand over her mouth to keep the nausea at bay.

Soon it was all over. Marian stopped drinking and sighed contentedly. Gem looked on both fearful and expectant. What would happen now?

Marian got to her feet shakily, wiping her mouth and smiling nervously at the older women. For a split second, Gem believed it hadn't worked. Marian was still herself.

That hope faded almost instantly. Marian's small frame began to grow upwards and outwards, her flimsy dress straining against the pressure before ripping and falling away altogether. Still she grew and presently the fiery shock of hair, which Gem had tried so hard to imitate, fell away.

Gem's jaw hit the floor. She tried to wrap her mind around what had just happened, but she couldn't. Marian… she had just…

Marian's mother presented her with a large, decorative dress.

"You are one of us now." She said to her. Marian smiled. Gem felt a glimmer of hope. Could it be? That her friend was the same on the inside?

The next moment Marian roared so loud Gem winced and her hands flew to her ears once more. The other termagants roared with their new sister.

No, no it couldn't be true. That was not Marian, it couldn't be Marian. Gem felt tears sting her eyes. The last friend she had, gone. Turned into something terrifying.

Gem leaned against the wall, closing her eyes.

Now she had to go. Go and never, ever come back.

After all, there was no one she would regret leaving now.


	6. Chapter 6: a new dawn

If there had been some kind of routine, things may have been easier.

But no. there wasn't. Every day was different from the last. Gem never knew what the new dawn would throw at her this time, but she knew she had sure be ready for it.

Three years she had roamed the Deepwoods. And for three years she had survived. Gem would have been proud of herself, but considering the alternatives were death or slavery, it wasn't like she had much of a choice.

Gem crawled out from inside the log she had been sleeping, shaking the leaves and twigs out of her short hair. She kept it short, since the orange dye still hadn't come out and she had just about lost all hope that it ever would. She would be forever cursed to keep this hair color that was absolutely useless when it came to camouflage.

The girl scooped up her bow and arrows and adjusted the weapons she had strapped to various parts of her body. The awl in her boot and the hunting knife on her arm had been gifts, as were the various amulets and ribbons she had tied to the end of her walking stick. Little tokens of gratitude from the people she had helped over the years.

Gem walked along, chewing nervously on one of the braids beside her face, a habit developed over the course of the years. As she walked, her mind wandered.

_I wonder if I'll come across a village today…_ she thought to herself.

Gem liked villages. More often than not, there would be a sick or injured person, complete with a despairing family and, according to Gem at least, ridiculously incompetent medics. She chuckled. Everyone always seemed so surprised when she healed them. It was amusing. Yet more importantly, villages meant gifts and a warm meal, which she took gratefully before leaving once more.

She never stayed. No matter how welcoming or loving the village and its people, she never stayed. For in three years of travelling the Deepwoods, never had Gem ever seen another creature that looked even remotely like her. The only exceptions were the young termagants, and even they transformed into something she, Gem, was not and never could be. She had seen slaughterers, woodtrolls, goblins and a number of other creatures, but none of them looked like her. Gem didn't know what she was, therefore knew she would never fit in. She had made peace with that the day she had left the trog caves.

Yet being something so strange and different had its advantages. The rumor about her that had spread though the Deepwoods like a wildfire was one of them. Someone, she did not know who, had coined the term "Child of the Deepwoods" and it had stuck. Word had travelled from village to village, everyone saying what they thought this mysterious thing was. Popular opinion was that she had been generated from the Deepwoods themselves, and now not only could no Deepwoods beast hurt her, but they would protect her and she had command over them all. Some claimed she could cure any sickness; others were convinced she had the whole Deepwoods memorized and mapped out in her head. Others still assured she was immortal!

Gem laughed at them all. None of it was true of course, but the reputation she had certainly came in handy. After all, people seemed more willing to aid an immortal than a vagrant.

A rustle came to her left and she was in a tree before the unseen threat even revealed itself.

With a growl the first beast bounded through the underbrush. Gem cursed under her breath. Whitecollar woodwolves. There was no getting away from them. Once they had your scent, nothing would stop them. Besides, their presence almost always meant that their master, a slaver, wasn't far behind.

Gem could hear him now...

"What've you found boys? I hope it's something worth my time, not like that scrawny boy back there..."

The short goblin came crashing through the underbrush, a dozen other wolves at his side, and joined the first who was now scratching and snarling at the base of the tree Gem had climbed. He gave her a crooked grin.

"What you doing up there girly?" the goblin called up to her. He was toting a whip and wore a cloak of... was that banderbear pelt? Gem felt her face grow hot with anger and she glowered at him.

"Leave me alone! Call off your pack and leave!" she said.

The slaver chuckled.

"Ferocious little thing, aren't you girly? Come on down and we'll talk like civilized people."

Gem had had enough. She whipped out her bow, startling the hunter.

"I said to leave me alone!" Gem yelled. "Every moment you stay, I kill one of your wolves!"

"Now see here missy-!"

_twang_

The first of Gem's arrows hissed through the air and pierced the eye of the wolf directly beside the goblin. The beast crumpled with a whimper. It's master stared in alarm.

"What have you-?" he blustered angrily.

Gem pulled her bow taunt, aiming the next arrow at the hunter himself.

"I wasn't playing. You leave now." she hissed.

This time the goblin didn't even put up a fight. He whistled and hustled away, his back at his heels. Gem smiled to herself. He had been right about one thing. She certainly was a ferocious little thing.

She thought for a moment. Hadn't the slaver mentioned a boy? The image of Mira came back to her. What if the boy had been hurt?!

Gem slung her bow over her back and took a flying leap to the next tree, bounding from branch to branch, heading back the way the hunter had come.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Gem had just heard a scream, and the voice of a woman scolding an animal. She went more slowly now, keeping to the trees and keeping as quiet as possible. It would not be wise to reveal herself just yet.

Gem came to the edge of a clearing and settled herself in the branches of an ironwood pine, gazing down. She could see a wagon, pulled by a prowlgrin, disappearing into the woods.

Almost directly below her came a voice.

"Some wise one!" someone muttered angrily. Gem could hear the bitterness in the words.

She shifted and caught sight of the speaker.

It was a boy.


	7. Chapter 7: companions

**Heads up, in this chapter and probably all those that follow, there will be POV changes! Thanks a billion for the reviews, it means so much! Peace out! :3**

Gem watched the boy carefully. He didn't appear to be a threat. She knew, of course, that appearances didn't mean much in the Deepwoods. Yet while the boy was remarkable, he was not frightening.

Perched high above his head, Gem gawked at him. He was so… different. He had the tousled hairstyle of a woodtroll and the hammelhorn waistcoat of a slaughterer, but the similarities ended there. He looked nothing like all those goblins, trolls and trogs she had seen over the years. He looked like her! Could it really be possible that she was not the only one of her kind?

Yet he seemed so upset… and he was all alone…

Gem squared her jaw. That didn't mean anything she reminded herself. Not here. For all she knew he could be a trained assassin. It was unlikely, considering how scrawny and defeated he looked, but Gem had learned the hard way that it was never a bad thing to be a little suspicious.

The girl looked around. She had to speak to the boy, find out more about him, but she also wanted to have some assurance that he didn't pose a danger to her. Gem quietly placed an arrow on the string of her bow. If she could startle the boy, she could have a decent idea of what his intentions were. If he was bristling with aggression, she would know to be on her guard. If he was frightened, she could reasonably assume he wouldn't attack her on sight. Of course, fear made people do wild things… she should know…

Gem let her arrow fly. It embedded itself into a tree with a satisfying _thunk_.

The boy yelped and spun round in a panic, trying to figure out where the noise had come from. Even from her perch high up in the tree, Gem could see the terror in his eyes and suddenly felt horrible. He wasn't faking. He was scared clear out of his mind and it was her fault.

"Were are you?" the boy cried, his voice sounding strained. Gem sighed. He had probably been put through enough already. It was time to stop hiding.

"Funny how little people tend to look up." Gem called.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

"Funny how little people tend to look up."

Twig heard the voice high above his head and spun to face the speaker. He saw the leaves of an ironwood pine rustle as someone climbed down. He caught glimpses of orange, of green, but never saw a face. Then the someone dropped the last few yards and landed in front of him. Twig stared in open-mouthed shock.

It was a girl, perhaps one or two years younger than himself. Her hair was short and messy, with two small braids framing her face. Judging from the bright orange hue of her mane, he would have guessed she was a termagant trog, but her ruddy complexion made him quickly dismiss that possibility. But then, what was she…?

The girl stepped tentatively towards him, looking wary and suspicious, but her eyes betrayed a burning curiosity. Then Twig noticed the bow in her hands, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. He gulped nervously. If he made any sudden movements and wound up spooking the girl, he would probably end up with an arrow through his head.

They remained at a sort of stalemate for a while. The silence swelled until finally, the girl spoke.

"What are you?" she demanded.

"I- I-" Twig stammered. He didn't have an answer.

"I'm Twig…," he said simply.

The tiniest hint of amusement flickered across the girl's face.

"Not who. What."

Twig hung his head.

"I don't know what I am…"

"Oh.." Twig heard disappointment in the girl's voice. He looked up and noticed her staring dejectedly at her feet.

"I was just hoping…" she muttered and glanced at him.

"You see, I don't know what I am either. You and I look a lot alike… I thought we might be the same thing…"

The girl shrugged and Twig suddenly realized they couldn't be so different. She had a point about them looking similar. He got the feeling she knew what it was like to not fit in.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you…" he said.

"Don't be, it's not your fault." The girl replied. She tried to smile, but Twig could still sense her wariness. Not that he could blame her. This was the Deepwoods, after all.

Yet Twig wanted to befriend her. She seemed oddly familiar. Something about her face, her movements… it all gave him the distinct feeling of staring into a mirror.

"What's your name?" he asked, still nervous. The girl may have been younger and a little smaller than him, but she was still toting a bow and arrows while he was unarmed.

"Gem.." the girl muttered.

"Gem… It's a good name." Twig said.

The girl looked up. Twig smiled at her.

For the first time since their meeting, the girl smiled back.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Gem smiled at the boy. Twig he had said his name was. She had decided that, until he gave her a reason to believe otherwise, he was nonthreatening.

"Why were you angry just now?" Gem asked him.

His face fell.

"I'm just… tired of being abandoned…," he murmured. Gem nodded. She could relate.

"I understand. Everyone I care about is either gone or dead." She whispered. Then she smiled tentatively.

"You know, I do have an idea." Twig looked up at her, green eyes full of hope.

"You're alone, and I'm alone. We could be alone together from now on!" she smiled, then her brow furrowed.

"Wait, that came out wrong…"

Twig laughed and Gem laughed with him. It felt good, like she was having fun with a friend. Something that her life definitely lacked.

"Look, I'm tired of never feeling like I fit in, and I guess you are too. At least we fit in with each other, right? This could be a very beneficial arrangement for both of us." Gem pointed out. Twig nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, absolutely!" he beamed. Gem had to smile too. The older boy's grin was infectious.

"Then it's decided! Companions?" Gem offered her hand for a shake. Twig took it.

"Traveling associates?" Twig gave her a lopsided grin.

"Partners in crime?" Gem smirked right back at him.

"Friends?" Twig was smiling broadly, but in his eyes Gem saw only hope, relief and happiness.

She smiled and shook his hand again.

"Yes. Friends."


	8. Chapter 8: identical

"Twig! Get up!"

Gem shook her friend. He opened his eyes sleepily.

"What's wrong Gem? The sun's not even up yet…"

Gem rolled her eyes at him.

"Sky Above Twig! I sure hope we never have to run away from something on a short notice, because if I have to wake you up, we're both dead! I may just leave you behind!"

Twig grinned at her as he stretched and sat up.

"No you wouldn't." he laughed.

Gem stuck her tongue out at him and gave a begrudging smile.

He was right of course. She could never abandon him. In a few short weeks, they had become closer than Gem had ever been to anyone. Despite his habit of being difficult to wake up, Twig was the best companion she could've hoped for. He was always willing to learn and listen to what she had to say, even though he was a full two years older than her. He acknowledged the fact that she knew more about the Deepwoods than he did and made sure he always respected what she told him, even if he could be a bit of a daredevil sometimes. Not that Gem minded a little risk taking; she was as reckless as he was after all. He kept her in check as much as she did him. Besides, Twig was good for a laugh and had about a thousand stories and myths to share. Gem never got tired of his storytelling. He was so good it and it made her days a little brighter.

What she really liked to hear about were his experiences in the Deepwoods. As near as she could figure, he had been lost for a few months now. Had Gem known how, she would've helped him back to the path. Yet she knew she would've missed him terribly. She hadn't realized how lonely she had been.

Gem pulled her friend to his feet.

"I know it's early, but the sooner we clear out, the better." She said. Twig nodded and waited patiently as she got all her things in order. Bow and arrows, walking stick, hidden weapons. Gem pulled out her hunting knife and turned to her friend.

"You know I'm a suspicious girl, don't you? And that I have issues with trust?" she asked.

Twig nodded, then shrugged.

"You've probably survived as long as you have because of it." He answered. Gem smiled. He was right of course.

"Well, I've decided to trust you. Really trust you." Gem handed him her knife. Twig took it in a sort of awe. He knew the implications that this gesture held. Gem had enough faith in him to give him a weapon and trust that he would not use it against her.

"You're unarmed. You need to be able to protect yourself too." she said.

"Well, off we go." Gem smiled and shouldered her quiver and set off into the Deepwoods at a trot, Twig following at her heels.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Twig followed Gem, spirits soaring.

He hadn't felt this safe and comfortable around someone since his time with the banderbear. Obviously Gem looked nothing like a banderbear, but she gave him the same sense of security. And now the proof had come that she trusted him as much as he trusted her.

As he had gradually opened up more and more, she had done the same, telling him of her years in the Deepwoods. She had told him about the rumors about her, about her year with the termagants, and of the banderbear who had practically raised her.

Yet there was one small nagging detail about her. Something she had not mentioned anything about. The scarf.

Twig couldn't take his eyes off of it. It was tied around her neck in the same way his comfort cloth was knotted around his. The more he traced the patterns with his eyes, the more they looked alike. It had pestered him the moment he had noticed. He had never asked, since there had to be a reason she wasn't volunteering the information. Yet his curiosity got the best of him this time.

"Gem? Can I ask you something?" he said, tapping her shoulder. She smiled and slowed to walk beside him.

"Sure. What do you need to know?"

Twig gestured towards her neck.

"Where did you get that and how long have you had it?"

Gem pursed her lips and looked away. Twig winced, afraid he had offended her.

"Look Gem, I'm sorry…"

"No, you're right, I should tell you." She took a deep breath.

"The scarf is all I've got left of my mother. That, a little pendant with my name on it and a few fuzzy memories…"

"Your _mother_?" Twig stared at her.

"Yes, my mother. Why does that surprise you?" Gem said, looking startled.

In response, Twig fumbled with the knot at his neck. Gem seemed confused for a split second, then it appeared to dawn on her and she too was undoing her tie with trembling fingers.

The two knelt and lay their scarves out side by side. They looked on in stunned silence.

In front of them, the little pieces of cloth stared back at them, confirming the very thing that Twig had suspected for weeks.

They were identical. Every stitch, every squiggle was the same. The lullabee tree pattern had been replicated on both.

Twig shook his head in disbelief.

_What did this mean?_


	9. Chapter 9: a quiet moment

**Hello friends! Kind of had a sort of writer's block (besides having to study for the ACT), so this chapter is kind of a filler chapter? Kind of? It gets more interesting after this, I promise XD Thanks everyone!**

Gem stared up at the canopy above her, lost in her thoughts.

After the initial shock of finding out their scarves were identical, she and Twig had speculated what it could mean. Their first thought was that it was simply a strange coincidence, but that seemed unlikely. Yet they had no evidence whatsoever that those stiches had been made by the same person, so for the time being the two had been forced to assume it meant they were connected somehow, but they simply couldn't see the full picture. At least, not yet.

Gem turned onto her side, facing away from her friend.

"Gem?" she heard him whisper.

"Yes Twig, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Can't sleep…"

Gem sighed and pulled herself up.

"Yeah, neither can I…" she said.

The two watched the embers of their fire for a moment. Then Gem spoke.

"Tell me a story Twig…"

He looked up at her, a faint smile playing across his face.

"What kind of story?"

Gem shrugged.

"Tell me a story that makes you happy…"

Twig thought for a moment, frowning in concentration. Then his face lit up.

"Let me tell you the story of how I got my name…"

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

As Twig started his story, he watched his friend closely. She looked tired and worn out, but he had spent enough time with her to know she could still destroy any and all threats to their safety at a moments notice. Always ready, always on edge and never willing to trust anything. With her bow on her back, a knife in her hand and a glint in her eye, she was ready for anything the Deepwoods could care to throw at them. That was part of what made him feel so safe around her.

And yet now...

He kept talking, slowly lowering his voice as he watched Gem transform into someone quite different. Her eyelids became heavy and presently she shut them, resting her head on his shoulder. She looked so young and innocent... Sleep made her look so vulnerable, and, at the moment, she was. Yet she trusted him enough to put herself in that position.

Twig smiled. He would never tell her, and she certainly wouldn't appreciate it if he did, but he felt oddly protective of her. In the same way that a brother would protect his little sister. Perhaps that was what the matching scarves meant. Who could tell.

_We are connected_, Twig thought to himself

_For better or for worse, but we are connected._

He stared into the embers, silently promising Gem he would always be looking out for her.

**I'm sorry, I know it's short and kinda sub-par... I just kind of wanted a part where Twig officially starts to think of her as a sister, before they know that they really are siblings.**

**Thatnks y'all, and peace out!**


	10. Chapter 10: it we fall, we fall together

"_Twig_"

Gem was screaming, choked by smoke and tears. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see anything except for the fire.

How had he gotten separated from her? One moment he had been there and the next…

Gem whipped around, screaming his name. Nothing. Only the sounds of the fire as it raged around her. She had to go, run before she was incinerated. Gem covered her face with her arms and plunged into the trees blindly.

She didn't stop running. The air cooled around her and the smell of burning faded, but still she kept running. Tears obscured her vision.

Her foot caught a crack in the ground and she fall hard onto all fours, her chest heaving from running and crying, and retching from inhaling so much smoke. Tears fell hard and fast down her cheeks, cutting thought the soot on her face.

Gem sat back on her haunches and wailed. Gone. Twig, her best friend was gone. She couldn't do anything right! No matter what she did, everyone she cared for wound up gone. She couldn't keep anyone safe.

Not even her own brother.

Because that was exactly what Twig was. Her elder brother.

The memory of what had happened returned, bringing with it more tears.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx **_

_**(First person flashback: Gem POV)**_

_I watched the captain as he told his story. _

_His sorrow shows through the cracks of his tough exterior._

_The shawl and the lullabee for luck. The child, the boy, abandoned in a woodtroll village. _

_Twig._

_I reach out to my friend, he is struggling to take it all in, green eyes staring at the captain. _

_His father. _

_But what is this? The story is not finished?_

_A second shawl? Identical to the first? It can't be._

_Another child? What? No… not possible…_

_The mother, Maris, took it to the Deepwoods…_

_A-a baby girl?_

_Me? _

_Yes. Me._

_Twig smiles at me because now we know who we are, what we are. _

_I smile at my brother and he grins back at me. _

_I look at the captain._

_Our father. _

_A brother and a father…_

_Family. _

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Gem sat on the rocky terrain, hugging herself.

_Alone again_, she thought bitterly. Only this time it was different. This was her _family_ she had lost.

She climbed shakily to her feet, wiping her eyes, ready to search for her brother until she had a boy to hug or a body to bury.

Around her the mist swirled and writhed. She had only heard of this place. Deepwooders called it the Edgelands. Home of the gloamglozer.

Gem knew all about that demon. Every Deepwoods creature knew about it.

She remembered one incident. A year ago she had been asked if she, the Child of the Deepwoods, could slay the gloamgloazer. She had smiled and said that she had never seen it, but she probably wouldn't be up to the task.

Gem bit her lip and put an arrow on her bow.

Now she may have to be.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Gem had no idea how long she had been searching when she heard the voices. All that mattered was that she recognized one of them.

Twig.

She broke into a run, desperate to see him, give him a big hug and tell him how sorry she was.

But them she slowed.

As she came into earshot of the conversation, she listened more closely to the second voice. It was smooth and oily. To anyone else, it may have sounded sincere, but to Gem. She could hear the maliciousness bubbling right under the surface.

Then the mist cleared, and the scene unfolded in all it's horror.

Twig stood at the edge of a cliff. Before him floated a terrifying horned creature with a long black cloak and evil red eyes. The gloamglozer. Gem had never been more sure of anything in her life.

Neither had seen her yet. Gem could now hear words.

"...never be frightened again. Take my hand and you will understand, Trust me, Master Twig." the demon was saying. Still her brother hesitated.

Gem's feet began to move of their own accord, slowing walking towards them.

"Have I let you down so far?" the evil thing taunted. Twig shook his head

Gem's feet got faster.

"Besides, I thought you _wanted_ to see what lay beyond the Deepwoods." the gloamglozer said.

_No Twig..._ Gem thought, getting even faster.

But he did. He reached out his hand and took that of the gloamglozer, stepping off the Edge. Something inside of Gem broke.

Then the air echoed with the gloamglozer's terrible shriek of victory.

Gem however kept pounding towards them, going faster than she ever had before, thinking one thing.

_I swear by Sky you evil thing, if you harm my brother, I will not rest until I have destroyed you with my own two hands_

Gem caught snatches the gloamglozer's words, but she processed them as if through some kind of filter brought on by her fury.

"They all fall for it" _I hate you_

"They all think they're special" _My brother_ is _special_

"You are as insignificant as all the rest, _Master_ Twig" _You're a liar._

"You are nothing. NOTHING!" _A liar and I hate you_

_"_I seek out those who have strayed from the path. I lure them to the Edge. AND I DISPOSE OF THEM!"

"_NO_!"

Gem whipped out her hunting knife and flung herself up, over the Edge, towards the gloamglozer's face, a murderous look in her eyes. It stared at her in surprise for a split second.

Then she was flung back, landing hard on her side. Her neck and cheek stung from where the demon's claws had raked across her skin. Gem scrambled to her feet, breathing heavily.

"Little Child of the Deepwoods. I've watched you. You never had a path to follow."

"I made my own." Gem looked from Twig's frightened face back to the gloamglozer. It seemed to look at her with a mixture of contempt and disgust.

"You can't protect anyone child. Not your friends. Not your brother. No one. All you can do is watch."

The gloamglozer smiled and let go of Twig's wrist. He screamed.

Gem's reflexes kicked in. She lunged for Twig's hand, falling hard on her stomach, stretching her arms to their limit.

Yet she caught him.

By some miracle, she caught him.

Gem lay sprawled on the Edge, the only thing keeping her brother from falling.

Then Gem screamed as the demon sunk it's talons into her back. Twig screamed with her.

"Let him go Gem. Let him go, and I will let you go unharmed..." it whispered in her ear.

"N-no..." she managed to mutter, red faced with effort.

She locked eyes with her brother. He was crying.

"Let me go Gem. You'll never be able to pull me back up. Only one of us needs to fall..."

"Listen to your big brother, little girl. Let him go." the whisper in her ear came again.

Gem sighed.

Twig was right of course. She could never pull him back up. Yet she couldn't let him go. Never again.

She locked eyes with her brother again and a kind of understanding passed between them. He shook his head.

"Gem, you don't have to do it..."

"Yes, I do. You're my brother. I will _never_ abandon you."

She sighed, closed her eyes and let herself slip off the Edge.

Gem clutched her brother's hand tightly in hers.

They were falling, but they fell together.


	11. Chapter 11: the new part of my life

**So, there are a lot of quotes in this chapter, but I swear I tried to keep them to a minimum... didn't really work though... so I'm just gonna put another disclaimer up here. I do not own any of the quotes! Enjoy y'all! ^^**

Gem closed her eyes and listened.

Twig was yelling something in defiance, but he sounded so far away. The wind whistled in her ears.

She could feel her hair blowing up around her face and feel her brother's hand in hers, but her mind was miles away.

Gem was at peace. For the first time since she could remember, she was no longer scared. She knew she had made the right choice. That was the one thing she could be proud of she realized abruptly. Ever since she had met the banderbear until just now, she had made her own choices. Good or bad, but they were _hers_. Gem smiled quietly to herself. Yes, she could take pride in that at least.

"I'm sorry, Gem..." Twig said.

She shook her head.

"Twig, we're family. I couldn't have walked away. You know I couldn't."

"This is all my fault..." He sounded ready to cry.

Gem opened her eyes and looked at him.

"And what if it is? You've got nothing if you haven't got yourself and the choices you make. Some of them will be smart, others will be downright dumb. But as long as they're yours, be proud of them. Besides, you're lucky enough to have a younger sister who will love you no matter how many stupid decisions you make."

Twig snorted, but a small smile had returned to his face.

"Philosophical discussions while plummeting off the Edge. Is there no end to your optimism?"

"I guess not." Gem said, closing her eyes again.

She was just coming to terms with the fact that she would never stop falling and would be condemned to this until the day she died, when she realized something. She became aware of a small shift in direction.

She was falling _sideways_?

"Are we dead?" Her brother wondered aloud beside her.

"Not dead," an unfamiliar voice came from above her."Far from it. You sill have far to go." Gem's eyes snapped open and she craned her neck to look at the speaker.

"Caterbird?" Twig exclaimed. Gem stared open-mouthed at the giant bird that had her and her brother tightly grasped in it's talons. Twig had mentioned the Caterbird, of course, but Gem was surprised nonetheless.

"You were at my hatching, and I have watched over you always. Now you truly need me, here I am." it was saying to Twig.

"Yeah, but I was never at your hatching! You've got no obligation towards me! Why am I here?" Gem yelled, mildly indignant for some reason. Not that she minded being saved, but she didn't understand why she had been included and she hated not understanding.

The Caterbird chuckled.

"Little Child of the Deepwoods-"

"My name is Gem, by the way." She cut in. Twig stared at her and she shrugged.

"It's high time I stared going by my real name, don't you think?"

The Caterbird laughed again.

"I expected nothing less from you Gem. I saved you because I couldn't take your brother without taking you as well," it nodded at their intertwined fingers.

"And besides," the Caterbird continued. "I'm not in the business of saving one sibling and leaving the other!" Gem and Twig smiled at each other.

"So where are we going?" Twig asked.

"Not 'we' Twig, but you. Your destiny, you and your sister both, lies beyond the Deepwoods."

And they were falling again, holding hands, falling down, down and...

CRASH

Everything went black.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Gem was running through the Deepwoods, toward something. She did not know what yet, but she knew she must reach it.

She was small, perhaps two. Big black curls bounced around her face.

She kept running.

She grew, now she was stumbling over pants that were too large for her.

Still, she kept running.

She grew again, her hair becoming long and orange. Her surroundings transformed. The trog caverns.

She ran on.

She grew once more. Back to the trees. Most of her hair fell away, leaving it short and choppy. A bow on her back and a stone for a knife.

She didn't stop running.

She grew for the last time. She was as she was now.

And she ran.

Then she heard singing, a familiar singing.

She ran into a clearing. A woman sat there. She was beautiful, with dark hair and green eyes. Familiar. A word popped into Gem's head. Mummy.

She crossed the clearing and embraced her mother, curling up on her lap, like she did when she was a small child. Her mother stroked her hair, her face, her scarf.

As she watched, a man, a captain, stepped out of the trees, his hand on Twig's shoulder. They approached with smiles on their faces.

Father and brother.

Gem smiled into her mother's shoulder. They were together.

"Are you all right?" The captain asked

Gem nodded. How could she not be?

"Are you all right?" this time the question came from her brother.

"Yes, I am." Gem said.

"Are you all right?" The question came a third time and this time Gem realized it wasn't anyone in her family speaking but someone else.

Her eyes snapped open, and she was staring into the huge red face of one of the sky pirates from before. What was his name? Tem? Yes that was it.

"I… I think so." She heard Twig say right beside her. "Nothing broken, at least."

Tem nodded and turned to her.

"What about you, lassie?"

Gem nodded slowly and pulled herself up.

"Yes, I… I'm all right." She said.

"How are they?" Spiker called.

"They're OK!" Tem hollered back.

Then Gem registered where she was. She and Twig had fallen on soft, folded sailcloth. All the skypirates were crowded around them. Yet closest of all, was Captain Cloud Wolf. Quintinus Verginix.

Their father.

As Gem watched, he reached out a hand and touched Twig's scarf, making him flinch. Gem tensed and moved closer to her brother protectively.

"Easy there you two. No-one's going to hurt you. Seems we're not to be rid of you after all."

"Never seen anything like it, cap'n!" Tem started. "Just dropped out of the sky, straight onto the aft deck, they did! It's a strange sky we're in and no mistake!"

"Stop your chattering!" the captain cut in. Gem stared at her feet and began to shuffle away with her brother as Cloud Wolf demanded they all return to their posts. But he stopped them.

The sibings stared at their father.

"W-why did you leave us…" Gem heard Twig ask, his voice cracked.

The captain sighed and leaned in, telling Twig how he had recognized the shawl, of how he had realized who Twig was and had not been able to bear the truth. Promising that Twig would never be abandoned a third time. Gem slowly shied away, her heart breaking. Had her father really forgotten about her?

Then the captain turned to face her and Gem met his eyes. He smiled ever so slightly.

"You didn't really think I had overlooked you, did you?" He asked her.

Gem blushed and looked away.

"Look at me, girl." He said. The captain's voice was not harsh. More… sad. Gem met his eyes.

"That was the second time I abandoned you, you know that?"

"I-? I don't understand…" she managed to say, puzzled.

"I abandoned you when I never returned to your mother. I heard she was with child. I heard it was a baby girl. Yet I never came back to see my daughter. Then Maris left for the Deepwoods, taking you with her. I never saw you as a child, Gem. I should have been at your birth, but I was not. For that, I apologize."

Gem felt ready to cry. But she didn't. She smiled and hugged her father.

"You're forgiven." She said.

The captain reached out and pulled Twig into their embrace.

"From now on, our destinies lay together. The three of us will sail the skies as father, son and daughter. I will never abandon my children again. Never."

Gem's smile grew wider. Only a few short months ago she had been alone. Now she had a father and a brother. A family. A _real_ family. She felt read to explode with happiness.

Then the captain pulled away.

"But the two of you will be crew members, just like all the rest." He said sharply. "So don't go expecting any special favors."

"No f- captain. We won't." Gem and Twig said in unison.

Their father nodded approvingly and turned to the small crowd that had gathered.

Gem giggled as he commanded them all back to their posts and they leapt to obey.

Cloud Wolf turned back to his children.

"Twig and Gem" he mused with a twinkle in his eye.

"Gem and Twig. Now what kind of names are those for the children of Quintinus Verginix, captain of the finest sky pirate ship to ever sail the heavens blue? Eh? Tell me that."

Twig and Gem exchanged glances and grinned. A sort of understanding passed between them. They smiled back at their father.

"Those are _our_ names." Twig said, speaking for both of them.

Gem turned to face the horizon. It stretched out in front of her, seemingly endlessly. To her, it looked full of opportunity, of adventure.

She had her father. She had her brother. She had herself. And she just couldn't wait for the new part of her life to begin.

**(Ugh... the amount of quotes in this chapter makes me so mad... But anyway! That concludes book one! I was planning on writing all the way up until her death actually... Hope everyone is ok with that ^^ thanks again y'all and peace out!)**


	12. Chapter 12: adventures and prank wars

**After a long, long hiatus I have returned! This is the continuation of the story and it is set right before the beginning of the events of Stormchaser, it sort of sets the stage for the sibling dynamic. Thank you everyone for being so patient 3**

"Gem you-!"

Gme ran out of her room, cackling loudly.

"That's payback!"

Twig ran out after her, soaking wet. Gem grinned mischievously. Her bucket-on-the-door trap had worked perfectly.

"I'll get you for this!" her brother tried to grab her, but she danced out of his way. She dashed across the deck, almost bowling Tem over. Twig sprinted after her.

Gem peeked at her brother from behind the mast and stuck her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes at her, but Gem could tell he was trying not to smile.

Twig feinted left and Gem scampered right, only to be swept up in the air.

"Let me down!" she laughed, and tried to swat at him.

"You wish!" he laughed.

"_What are you two doing?_"

Twig dropped Gem as fast as he could. They turned to face the captain; hands clasped behind their back and their faces the picture of innocence. Cloud Wolf sighed.

"What am I going to do with you two?" he shook his head.

"Twig, I have chores for you to do."

"Can I help?" Gem piped up. The captain simply stared back and frowned.

"Are you sure there's nothing for you to do back in the infirmary? Nothing to-"

"No." Gem cut him off. She didn't even care that she had interrupted. Any chore he could give her as punishment would be better than staying in the infirmary one more minute.

Cloud Wolf sighed at the fourteen year old as she stared back in defiance, the very picture of her mother. There was even a part of him that wanted to laugh at her and Twig's childish display. But of course, he was the captain, and he couldn't.

"I suppose you can help your brother..." He conceded at last. Twig and Gem nodded respectfully, grinning with barely contained excitement.

**_xxxxxxxxxxx_**

"Thank you for helping me." Twig said to his sister as they tidied up the crew's sleeping quarters.

"Don't mention it. Besides, if I couldn't do this at least I'd be so bored, and you know what happens when I get bored" she smirked. Twig rolled his eyes suppressing a laugh. Boy did he know! He and Gem had been engaged in a prank war for the past month and his sister's boredom only meant she had more time to come up with more elaborate pranks. It was in his best interests to keep her occupied! He glanced over at his little sister as she worked and smiled.

She had grown so much from when they had first met in the Deepwoods all those years ago. So many things had changed, but still some remained exactly the same. Gem was still looking out for him and he still felt safer with her than anyone he had ever met, but now Twig found the big brother in him turning him into Gem's self proclaimed protector. Not that she needed any protecting, but even she would readily admit that it was nice that she could count on him to always have her back.

The two of them had also been exploring their lighter side. As it turned out, once she wasn't fearing for her life day in and day out, Gem had an excellent sense of humor. Not only that, but Twig had managed to find his too. This resulted in hilarity for the crew of the Stormchaser as the brother and sister completed one another's jokes, made accidental spectacles of themselves and, most recently, pranked one another. Not a day passed without some incident, the only ones who were not impressed were Spleethe, the slimy quartermaster, and the captain himself.

Twig sighed. That was one more reason he was so thankful to have Gem at his side. She knew what no one else did. That they were the Cloud Wolf's children and as a result, were treated the harshest. Gem, who was almost always stuck in her infirmary as the on-board nurse, was not as exposed to the strict behavior of the captain so much. But Twig caught the brunt of it and he hated it. But at least he could go to his sister with his pains. She could understand.

"Undertown in sight!"

Spiker's voice resounded from above deck, breaking into Twig's thoughts. Gem tossed her broom aside and leaped to the porthole, sticking her head out, letting the wind tousle her long braids. Her brother joined her.

Together they watched as Undertown grew closer and closer. It was dirty, polluted, industrial and even plain ugly. But to Gem it held a sort of fascination that cae not from how it looked, but from what it represented. To her it stood for excitement, it was her own new challenge every time she returned. Her adventurous spirit wanted to explore every hidden nook and cranny that the city had to offer. And her brother, her partner-in-crime and her best friend was always there beside her.

The skyship came in to land and the siblings ducked back inside, hurriedly throwing on their overcoats, ready to dash out to meet whatever awaited them this time.


End file.
